Ethiopian restaurant brings exotic new flavors to Reno
As you were stuffing your face full of turkey two weeks ago, writing your sixth five-page essay and worrying about finals week, you were also probably unaware of the zestiest new restaurant in town: Zagol. By “zestiest,”I mean an eating sanctuary of epic proportions where the ambience zings with color and life, the waiters zoom to your assistance and the spices zap you right in the taste buds. What more could you expect from Reno’s first authentic Ethiopian food restaurant?
Now you may be wondering: Why would a tiny town like Reno be in need of a restaurant advocating East African cuisine? Simply, you uncultured oaf, it just isn’t enough to experience the dry steak, dull pasta and dim deep-fried options Reno generally provides. You must expand your minds! Unleash your taste buds! Enjoy something that will revive your colorless life and renew your enthusiasm for exploratory culinary experiences.
Located at 855 E. Fourth Street between the Wells Avenue bridge and Spokane Street, Zagol may be a newcomer to the Reno dining scene, but its zeal for mind-blowing Ethiopian curries, coffees and combo plates leaves its competition in the dust.
Assuming you are a stranger to the world of Ethiopian zestiness but bound by a dislike for meat products, I recommend an adventure involving the Mesir Wat ($8). A savory treat of spicy lentils, garlic, onion and ginger, this dish will undoubtedly cause you to lick the plate with zest-filled glee. I also recommend ordering extra injera (traditional Ethiopian bread) to soak up its greatness.
But in order to get the true experience of the ama-ZING-ness that is Zagol, for my money ($12.95 to be exact) there is no better choice than the Doro Wat, a combination of the perfect amount of spices with the ideal amount of chicken to zap your ordinary culinary delights right out of commission. Add an egg and some homemade cheese ($0.50 each) for that extra zing that’ll send you right over the top and away from that plain experience with Italian chicken parmigiana you were pretending to enjoy last week.
Not convinced that Ethiopian food contains enough zing, zap or zoom to suit your tastes? Look no further than their organic Tej. A succulent, sweet, Ethiopian honey-wine, Tej is truly the nectar of the gods. A word to the young: Tej is an alcoholic drink and may only be enjoyed by the worthy 21-year-olds among us.
Although Reno offers its share of American, French, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Latin American, Thai and Vietnamese dining experiences, none can compete with the Ethiopian zest of Zagol. Packing a powerful punch in its splendiferous spices, sauces and spongy bread, Ethiopian food will leave you weak in the knees. Don’t believe me? I dare you to defy me by zooming over to Zagol and encountering the zap, zing and zest that will have you yelling “Zounds!”in delight.
Phillipa Lockwood is a columnist for The Nevada Sagebrush. Send her a letter at letters@nevadasagebrush.com or leave a comment at nevadasagebrush.com.
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4 Responses to “Ethiopian restaurant brings exotic new flavors to Reno”
I agree with you wholeheartedly. I’ve had previous dining experience in an Ethiopian restaurant in Detroit called the Blue Nile, and since we moved here I’ve missed this wonderful, ethnic food. My husband and I enjoyed our dinner at Zagol. It was a Monday night, and they didn’t serve lentil dish. I miss that Blue Nile restaurant, therefore, Zagol fills the craving gap.
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I am looking forward to trying Zagol. I spent two years in Ethiopia and miss some of the yummy food.
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I have eaten at many Ethiopian restaurants before in various medium to large cities in the United States. This is the worst Ethiopian cuisine place that I have ever eaten at.
An Ethiopian restaurant might seem like a cruel joke. But if the portions are big, the food is cooked well, and the courses are definitely authentic, then an Ethiopian place can be a wonderful experience while dipping the spicy food with the spongy angina bread. In some Ethiopian restaurants the prices tend to be on the reasonable side.
Unfortunately, Zagol has none of these attributes. The service is bad and the staff are quite rude, especially the main server/hostess person.
Some foreign ethnic restaurant owners get a bad attitude with having lived in the States for a few years. They begin to think about money all the time and the hassle of American bill paying, and so they soon get cheap, tight, petty and mean. The hostess/server had this attitude the whole night. One also notices that the owners separate the friends of owner (all Ethiopians) from the regular American diners. I noticed that the Ethiopians tended to get bigger plates and bigger portions of different foods than the regular customers. And if their Ethiopian friends walked in before the other patrons, they even got served before the other diners got their main dishes.
The prices are quite steep for a city, such as Reno, that is undergoing a bad economic recession as of writing this review. I paid fifteen dollars for my small dish with the one Ethiopian beer.
What was quite stultifying were the incredibly small portions. I have seen small portions in other Ethiopian restaurants before, but this experience was outrageous. I received a large plate full of angina bread with a little slop of spicy bean dip and a tiny oil and vinegar salad of lettuce, tomatoes and peppers. I ate the bean dip (which was tasty) and most of the angina bread in about fifteen minutes.
But it was the salad that confused me. Where did this salad come from? I had never seen a light oil and vinegar salad in Ethiopian cuisine before. About five minutes later, I saw one of the cooks go into the kitchen. The cook did not look Ethiopian. The cook seemed to be a Latino-Hispanic person. I couldn’t believe it – even these restaurants now hire Latino-Hispanic cooks. No wonder I received an oil and vinegar salad with the spicy bean dip portion. The only thing authentic was the Ethiopian angina bread.
I paid my bill, and I complained about the slow and rude service, the portions, and the fact that the food was not that authentic. The hostess/server in an obnoxious tone told me ‘Thank you very much’ at the cash register – and that was it. Yes, many foreign ethnic restaurant owners know what a restaurant tax is, but they don’t about the importance of good service in American culture. I just didn’t leave a tip, and decided to never visit the place again. Yes, the buyer beware also rings true.
The city of Reno is trying to change the dangerous and sleazy image of East 4th St., unfortunately, this pseudo Ethiopian restaurant contributes to the area’s demise. Avoid this hole in the wall if you can, and visit the fast food burrito joint that is just down the road. At least you know that the greasy burrito is more authentic than this ethnic scrap kitchen.
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Although Zagol has been my first experience with Ethiopian food, I have found their food to be quite good. I agree with Lucette that the portion size seemed a little small at first glance, but after finishing the meal I was actually quite satisfied.
As for the servers, I also found them to be pleasant. This is, however, after I had alread taken the stride to make friends with them…something I make a point to do at every eating establishment.
I encourage anyone to try Zagol first hand.
Reno needs all the help it can get in its attempts
to bring a little diversity into the region.
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